> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the man at the center of a sports scandal in japan has apologized publicly for his win at all costs attitude. he is the head coach of the country's olympic medal winner female judo team. he's admitted to physically abusing top wrestlers in practice and expressed his intention to resign. 15 female wrestlers sent a written complaint to the japanese olympic committee

saying soloda and another coach slapped them in the face and used other forms of physical abuse and power harassment. >> translator: i think it is difficult for me to continue teaching judo. i'm going to submit a document to the all-japan judo federation asking whether or not i should resign. >> he went on to say he never thought what he did would constitute violence. he revealed he just wanted the wrestlers to go the extra mile. officials with the all-japan judo federation say he was involved in a total of five violent incidents from august 2010 to february 2012. they say he admitted to hitting athletes who failed to follow his instructions and jamming them with a stick. they reprimanded soloda and the other coach. the joc set up an emergency

meeting. they will probe the allegations of violence by the coaches. >> translator: the scandal has underscored a gap between sports circles and society about what's accepted as discipline and what constitutes violence. it's our mission to irradicate violence from sports. >> the committee will question the 15 female judo wrestlers including some olympic athletes. they'll also call on other sports organizations to find out if they have similar problems. "the new york times" says the new york times says chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated its computer systems over the past four months look for passwords and other sensitive information. the start of the cyber attacks coincided with "the times" investigation into vast fortunes accumulated by the family of chinese premier wen jiabao.

the newspaper said the assault on the network began in september of 2012 when articles was nearing completion. security experts hired by the newspaper found evidence that the hackers stole the passwords for every "times" employee and used them to gain access to personal computers of 53 members of staff. a "times" story published online on october 25th investigated how wen's relatives built a fortune worth several billions of dollars. the hackers broke into the e-mail account and the shanghai bureau chief who wrote the report. "the times" said there's no evidence that sensitive e-mails or files related to the investigation into the wen family were accessed, downloaded or copied. the paper started monitoring the computer network closely in october after it learned of warnings from the chinese government officials that its investigation into the wealth of wen's relatives would have consequences. chinese foreign minister hong lei denied involvement in the

cyber attacks saying it is irrational for "the times" to reach this conclusion without solid evidence. he said chinese law clearly prohibits computer hacking and that all parties involved will act responsibly. troubled usair craft manufacturer boeing has dismissed safety concerns after a japanese airline said it changed batteries in its 787 dreamliner fleet ten times last year. it did so due to repeated problems. they've been investigating the lithium-ion batteries. one involved a 787 that made an emergency landing in western japan. officials suspect its battery overheated. ana representatives say they changed the batteries over a period of eight months. boeing's ceo responded that

batteries are often changed during routine maintenance. some batteries in ana's plane had to be replaced because they wouldn't keep a charge. they said the others were mishandled. japanese transport authorities say the ana emergency landing was probably unconnected to the multiple battery changes. ana officials say the temporary loss of the 787 led to a drop in revenue in january. they had to canceled 460 flights. sales took a $15 million hit but profits from last year should help offset that loss. the officials say the ana operating profit from april 2012 was $1.2 billion, that's an increase of 18% in yen terms from a year earlier. it's also a record high for the company. but ana senior managers are concerned about financial problems down the road if the

787 investigation drags on. executive vice president says the company's business will be affected if it takes more time for dreamliner flights to be resumed. he added ana has no intention at present of changing the policy of introducing 49 boeing 787s by the year 2020. many more japanese companies put out results for january 2012. the weaker yen is helping some firms and hurting others. toshiba says that profits rose to $1 billion compared to 2011. spokespersons with the electronic equipment maker cite soaring demand for thermal power facilities both at home and abroad and more orders for smart phone chips. toshiba reports net income jumped to $600 million, more than six times higher than the year before.

spokesperson say the weak yen improved the bottom line. meanwhile, seven out of nine electric power companies that have reported their results posted losses due to a sharp rise in fuel costs. the net income for all utilities except for two companies was in the red between april and december 2012. tokyo electric power is not reporting results because it's currently under state control. four utilities posted record losses for the period. kushu was $2.6 billion, hokkaido, almost a billion dollars and another company, $340 million. tohoku sustained $150 million. and shubou $24 million. power utilities had to shoulder higher fuel costs because most of the nation's nuclear power reactors remain offline after the fukushima daiichi accident. their bottom lines were hurt

further by more expensive imported fuel, which was pushed higher by the weaker yen. nearly 100 camera makers unveiled their latest products at a large efltxpo near tokyo. they're hoping to re-attract consumers who have switched to camera-equipped smartphones. the four-day cps plus camera and photo imaging show opened in yokohama on thursday. this allows users to upload photos to the internet through a smartphone. nikkon showed off a camera with an android operating system. a new single lens reflex camera from sony features advance image processing technology. it can produce professional images, for example, by blurring distant objects to make the subject stand out. industry officials say new cameras need to have a variety of functions to attract consumers. they say cameras can develop

alongside smartphones rather than compete with them. south korea's ambassador to the united nations has hinted at the need for action if the north conducts a third nuclear test. he says the threat is real. ambassador kim sook says the north is preparing to carry out another test after many years of development. he suggested that the countries concerned have the resources to respond. >> we have many items in our hands, well not only the republic of korea, but japan, the united states and some items to be included once they cross the line. >> kim says north korea will use its program to arm itself with

weapons of mass destruction. he calls the country's nuclear weapons an imminent threat. ambassador kim also says south korea will try to strengthen cooperation with japan. the south assumes the u.n. security council presidency in february. the pakistani teenage girl shot by islamic militants will undergo another operation, this time to restore her hearing in one ear. malala yousafzai was targeted for working to promote the rights of girls to receive an education. the 15-year-old was shot in the head by the pakistani taliban as she left school. the attack left her in a critical condition. she gradually recovered, due to treatment at a hospital in the united kingdom where she was transferred from pakistan. malala was discharged earlier this month. she's currently in rehabilitation, supported by her family who are also now in britain. a physician treating malala told

a news conference on wednesday that she would soon have another operatatatatat in her left ear when the gunshot broke her eardrum and other tissue in her head. during the operation, malala's head wound will be covered with a metal plate. doctors will install a small electronic device to improve her hearing. >> this is primary to offer physical protection to her brain in the same way as a normal skull was -- would. she remains incredibly cheerful, incredibly determined and -- to continue to speak for her cause. she really is a remarkable young lady. >> the operation is scheduled to take place within the next ten days. the doctor said malala will need to remain in britain for the time being. and that a full recovery is still more than a year away.

participants in a u.n. disarmament conference have voiced negative views about japan's plan to use nuclear fuel. more than 70 government officials and experts from 16 countries are taking part in the three-day conference. the second day of the meeting focused on nuclear security. a u.s. nuclear export, miles pomper, questioned japan's effort to have using nuclear cycling, even after the fukushima accident. >> moving forward with an additional generation of plutonium for these reactors is just not very sensible. >> popper said the risk of a terrorist attack could go up if japan has a large amount of unnecessary plutonium. other participants said japan and the u.s. must maintain their high-level nuclear technology because many developing countries want nuclear power. criminals in japan have raked in a record amount of

money using fraud. police say con artists stole about $400 million last year from victims, due in part to more sophisticated technique. these scammers have, in the past, pretended to be family members of their targets. they phone to ask for money and convince their victims to make bank transfers. but in more than half the cases last year, con artists visited their victims at home. they posed as representatives of relatives, and in some cases, walked away with cash. national police agency spokespersons say criminals are also duping people with fake financial products. they say returns from this kind of fraud have nearly tripled to around $200 million. investigators say con artists target individuals using fake products, such as the sale of stocks in non-existing companies or they sometimes claim bogus transactions could amount to insider trading and trick victims into paying to hire lawyers.

people in japan saw their first rash of bank transfer fraud about a decade ago. victims usually fall for a similar scam. >> reporter: it happened to this tokyo resident who is in her 80s. she received a phone call last april from a man claiming to be her grandson. he said he'd forgotten a bag on a train containing the equivalent of about $220,000. he asked her to give him money to replace it. the woman had been aware of this kind of fraud. her husband had even warned her about it that same morning. still, she says she was convinced the caller really was her grandson. >> translator: i thought to myself, i know my grandson is in trouble. i've got to help him. >> reporter: con artists spin other tales. some pretend to be family

members who need help paying back money to their company or covering personal things, such as abortions. they ask their victim, who are usually elderly, to transfer large amounts of money to a bank account. con artists stole about $47 million in 2003. a year later they netted about $310 million. police crackdowns and awareness campaigns led to a drop in fraud cases in 2009. for example, authorities worked with banks to freeze suspect accounts but criminals changed their tactics and fraud took off again. some now pose as operators of adult websites claiming fictitious fees. others pretend to represent family members and attempt to collect cash or bank cards. these money scams are happening

elsewhere in asia. chinese and taiwanese authorities announced in june 2011 that they arrested nearly 600 members of a cross-border criminal group on bank transferred fraud charges. south korean authorities say the number of money transfer frauds increased ten-fold between 2007 and 2011. police say they're trying to stay ahead of the con artists but they note individuals also need to play a role. earlier i spoke to nhk world's tomomitsu oto. i asked him why they keep falling for this even though they're aware of the crimes. >> criminal groups are now using more varied and sophisticated techniques. the classic case where a con

artist pretends to be a family member to steal money declined last year by more than 1,000 incidents to about 3,600. police awareness campaigns have been credited. but the number of fraud cases has increased by more than 1,500. some premier groups are moving away from bank transfers because of limits on the amount of money that can be moved. an increasing number of them collect cash from victims in person aiming for a bigger payout. this is reflected in the statistics. more money is being swindled in individual cases. the amount lost increased by about $16,000 per case last year compared to 2011. that pushed up the total amount as well. >> you mentioned police awareness campaigns, authorities have been trying to stop this kind of fraud for years. what else can they do?

>> well, with japanese police cooperating with their international counterparts, it's clear the stakes are higher than ever. they started a campaign late last year to warn potential fraud targets. they managed to obtain a target list circulated among criminal groups with names of elderly and vulnerable people. police hope contacting potential victims directly will prove more effective in fighting fraud. they are also urging people to use answering machines or services to screen all incoming calls. criminals seldom leave messages because the evidence could be used against them. without immediate contact with fraudulent callers, people can take their time deciding what's genuine and what's fake. police say common sense can often be the best defense.

many refugees arriving in japan are looking for sancuary but end up homeless. among them is a growing number of africans. so why is their almost to harsh? eisuke takahashi explains. >> reporter: this man says he arrived from nigeria in november. he applied to the justice ministry for refugee status. in nigeria, islamic extremists continue to terrorize and attack christians. he says they killed his father and younger brother, both christians. he also says he fled to japan because his life was in danger.

he arrived in japan with about $500, but it lasted only a week. he has been homeless for nearly two months now. >> reporter: the first thing he ate in japan was a bowl of seasoned beef and rice. that was his last square meal. >> reporter: in japan, refugees cannot work for six months after applying for asylum. the government gives them $16 per day for living expenses and $440 per month for housing. but the number of applicants is rising, so it takes as long as three months to process the payments. on this day, the african man went to a major train station in tokyo. he headed to the men's room to

wash up. then, he spent the night sleeping in a corner of the station. the number of homeless africans is growing. this npo helps them. many africans say they have no food or lodging. >> i'm from nigeria. >> i'm from uganda. >> reporter: this one says it's the first time he has eaten in a day it. it is heated in the microwave. >> translator: it's the first time that so many people are

homeless. critical. >> reporter: earlier this month, npos supporting refugees in japan discussed how to address the issue. many said npos don't have enough money to handle the problem. >> translator: the refugees ask for help. we tell them this is the best we can do and turn them away, knowing they will go homeless. >> reporter: the npos decided to urge the government to revise some laws. this would ensure refugees to get enough money for basic living standard as soon as they apply for asylum. >> translator: our worst fear is that our funds to support these people will run dry. the question is what then? >> reporter: it could be a while before that question is

answered. the justice ministry says discussions are needed. >> translator: the government and japanese society as a whole must debate how they should deal with helping refugees. >> reporter: how will japan deal with the growing number of homeless africans? while officials talk it over, the number of down and out keeps rising. eisuke takahashi, nhk world, tokyo. hi there, welcome to your world weather update. looks like there will be a change in the weather. a storm system coming from the west over much of china is bringing heavy rainfall here. does look like this whole frontal area will continue to push off there to the east

toward korea, bringing heavy rain showers that into japan, especially friday into saturday. the problem with this is not just going to be the rain showers about out ahead of it, we are seeing this warm air surge in from the south t will be push nothing japan and then you're going to start to see some snow melts, the higher elevations. and that, combined with the rainfall, very as well going to be creating some flooding into the low-lying areas. definitely want to watch out for this as it does push ahead. into tokyo, does look like sunny skies are going to be dominate nothing friday and cloudy skies on saturday but just a trace of rain showers, as those mountains are really going to block off most of it as far as the temperatures though, it does look like it is going to be may-like here in tokyo. 13 for your high on friday, getting up into the higher

teens, 18 and 19 going into saturday. seoul remaining around 9 degrees. down into the tropics, much of southeastern asia into the 20s and 30s. not so much speak of as far as weather down here. the north seas monsoon is really dominating and just keeping all of that rough weather, as far as thunderstorms, rather quiet. not so much the case has been here into the united states, especially the eastern portions. really destruction has been seen across some areas here. two fatalities have been reported due to tornadoes. now, the good news is that storm system's moving offshore. much fairer weather rolling in behind it. back off toward new brunswick, you will continue to see some gusty winds, even some snowfall. also the great lakes. you are the exception as far as this tranquil weather in the u.s., because we have that lake-effect snow that's going to be setting in. that northwesterly wind flowing down toward the south, especially on the east side of these lakes, toward the southern portions from huron over toward michigan and south of erie and

ontario, around buffalo, you're going to be seeing up to about 35 centimeters of snowfall, accompanied by winds possibly up to 100 kilometers per hour there is going to be that risk of some blizzard-like conditions really reducing visibilities here w that northwesterly wind coming down, temperatures get colder. winnipeg, minus 22 only for your high on thursday. chicago, up to minus 8. even as far south as atlanta now, your going to be in the single digits here, going through the latter part of your workweek. as we take a look toward europe. we have a storm system pushing across the british isles. this is also bringing some heavy rainfall across portions of the low countries. some gusty winds. the good news into friday this tight gradient we have been seeing here, all these lines really close together. that low pressure off to the north is going to weaken, also the high pressure toward the south, gradients need to come less. that means the winds are finally going to start to back off. still seeing this rainfall with this system coming onshore now. even into the alps, heavy snowfall will be occurring into saturday and by sunday that will eventually work its way into italy here as it does drift down. and temperatures are going to cool off behind it. london and paris, 7 and 12. it does look like into paris, your overnight lows by saturday is going to get even below the freezing mark. not even getting up to the freezing mark though into

moscow. minus 1 here for your high to start off your weekend. now here's you're look at your extended forecast. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

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